Mayor Sam Abed touts accomplishments, lays out hopes in State of the City address

Speech rebuttal

Escondido’s Future, a quality-of-life group opposed to recent city cuts to libraries and recreation, will present a rebuttal to Abed’s speech at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Escondido Library, 239 S. Kalmia St.

Mayor Sam Abed said Wednesday that upgrading older neighborhoods, annexing land for economic development and embracing ethnic diversity are three goals he’s set for Escondido in 2013.

Delivering his annual State of the City address to nearly 300 residents and business leaders gathered at the city’s arts center, Abed said other goals include becoming a charter city and cracking down on graffiti and other code violations.

The mayor also touted a long list of recent accomplishments, including reopening City Hall on Fridays, establishing a computer lab in a closed library branch at the East Valley Community Center and persuading city labor unions to agree to smaller pensions for new hires.

Other achievements he mentioned were a $55 million renovation of Westfield North County mall, a new Target that opened there, the $1 billion new Palomar Medical Center and a rebuilt freeway interchange at state Route 78 and Nordahl Road.

“Our efforts to restore Escondido’s image as an attractive place to visit, do business and raise a family have already made a big difference,” said Abed, delivering his third State of the City speech since being elected mayor in November 2010.

But the mayor said the city still has some unfinished business, such as job growth, a better-educated populace, a revived downtown and cleaner urban neighborhoods.

“We will not rest until we restore Escondido’s position as a vibrant city playing a prominent role in North County economic growth,” he said. “Only then can we provide a brighter future for all who live in Escondido.”

Abed said the city should adopt a “proactive” annexation policy for some of the nearly 500 acres that Proposition N earmarked for economic development. Some of the land is outside the city’s boundaries. Proposition N is a general plan update that voters approved in November.

The mayor also said city and community leaders must embrace the ethnic diversity of Escondido, where 49 percent of residents are Latino.

“We need to embrace this inclusive approach focusing on our mutual interests, building on the strength of our diversity and growing as one united community under the rule of law,” he said. “I am deeply committed to making this happen.”

Abed said he also wants the city to take another shot at becoming a charter city, which would increase Escondido’s independence from Sacramento and reduce the cost of some city construction projects.

City voters rejected a charter measure in November by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent.

A video of the speech will be shown at 6 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday on Cox Channel 19 and U-verse Channel 99.